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Each year, we celebrate the achievements by African Americans in history by recognizing them throughout the entire month of February.

Origin

Black History Month began in 1915 after the abolishment of slavery in the United States. In September 1915, Carter G. Woodson and Jesse E. Moorland founded the Association for the Study of Legro Life and History (ASNLH). The organization dedicates themselves to research and promote the achievements of African Americans.

Today, the organization is called the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). The group sponsored a national Negro History week in the year 1926. They chose the second week of February to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. During this week, they held local celebrations, hosted performances and lectures, and established history clubs.

Each year, Black History Month has a theme. This year’s theme is African Americans and the Vote. This is in honor of the 19th Amendment, granting women’s suffrage and the sesquicentennial of the 15th Amendment, which gave black men the right to vote. The goal for women to vote was reached when the 19th Amendment was passed in 1920.

Information obtained from History